I just returned from this year's Indiana State Fair. It was very bad timing, because I had just seen the government's reissued dietary guidelines online. I am not a fan of the current administration, but I did think in this one area they were going to cut us some us some slack...or a least a big piece of chocolate cake.Wednesday, August 16, 2017

The Ropkey Armor Museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana has closed after more than 35 years. It was one of the finest private collections in the country. The contents will find homes in various museums around the country.

The founder, military historian and Korean War Veteran Fred Ropkey, passed away four years ago. As a tribute, I am re-running remarks I made at his funeral service in 2013. Check out my interview at WISHTV.com with Lani, Fred's wife of over 30 years in the next week or so.Wednesday, August 9, 2017

What has happened to the art of sitting? People nowadays don't just sit; they have to be involved in some activity like emailing, blogging, tweeting, reading, or watching TV.

When I was a kid, people in my neighborhood sat on their front porch. Since this was New York, they were mostly protecting their valuables or waiting for the police to arrive. They were sitting, nonetheless. You see people sitting in a doctor's office-but these people are waiting. Big difference.Monday, July 31, 2017

Hal Fryar passed away last week at age 90. If you don't know who he is, maybe the name Harlow Hickenlooper will ring a bell. Harlow Hickenlooper is tough to say. Hal Fryer will be tough to forget. They are one in the same.

Hal was the host of several children's television shows in Indianapolis over his 43-year career, including a longtime gig on WFBM-TV (now WRTV-6) where he introduced Three Stooges movie shorts.Wednesday, July 12, 2017

I just returned from my brother's wedding in New York City, and I am happy to report that things went off without a hitch...except for Peter. He got hitched for the first time, which was about the last thing I expected him to do at age 66. Mary Ellen and I stayed at my sister's condo instead of a hotel, allowing us all to share memories and spend extra time together-but most importantly, saving us $500.00 a night.Monday, July 3, 2017

I turned 70 this year. And so did a 10-year-old freckled little boy named Howdy Doody. For those too young to remember, The Howdy Doody Show debuted in 1947, its star a convivial wooden marionette whose human partner in the show, Buffalo Bob Smith, lived in my hometown of New Rochelle, New York.Saturday, June 24, 2017

My home office is downstairs, which was just a cellar when we moved into the house 25 years ago. We invested a little money to fix it up, so then it became a basement. I guess you could call it a finished basement. But apparently it wasn't finished, because the builder we hired said that for a few extra bucks he could add some decorative touches and then we could call it our lower level. We didn't have "that" kind of money.Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Last week I had the honor of presenting to Carl Erskine the Heritage Place Award, given to six senior Hoosiers each year for their lifetime service to the Indianapolis community. For those who don't recognize the name, Carl is a retired banker from Anderson, Indiana. He also previously pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers team that won their first-and only-World Series in l955.Wednesday, June 14, 2017